We are taking our first official family vacation this summer, with a 12 yo and 15 yo. Any suggestions for stops along the way? We have 12 days, so plenty of time to sightsee!
Yellowstone and the MOA is a given, but we're looking for off the wall stuff, like the world's biggest canteloupe type stuff. All suggestions welcome!! Thanks!
Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !
Although it's hard to define "plenty of time", it does hint at the fact that you might be underestimating the amount of ground you want to cover in the time you have. Yes,It's certainly doable but will equate to 6 or 7 days of driving and you could easily spend 3 days in Yellowstone and not see anywhere near everything. You will find Lot's of info by searching the forums and checking out the resources in the tool bars above. The Map centre is handy for creating routes and searching for attractions along the way. You will soon discover the huge number of options out there and when you have a beeter idea of your itinerary, I'm sure we can help fill in the blanks.
Enjoy the planning.
Are you thinking of going through North or South Dakota? Both have plenty of touristy/oddball stops, and the map center has many of them listed. I'd also ask if Bozeman is a required stop or if you are just using it as a reference point? Otherwise, I'd recommend entering Yellowstone via the Beartooth Highway.
I do have to agree with Dave that I suspect you are underestimating the amount of time you need. You can certainly make the trip, but I wouldn't say you have plenty of time. You'll actually have to watch the clock fairly closely. Keep in mind, you really shouldn't plan to drive more than 500-600 miles on a full day if you want to keep your trip safe and enjoyable, and even a bit less if you want to stop and see those oddball things that take you off the interstate.
I guess plenty of time is the wrong thing to say...I guess we're just planning on taking our time to see some sites as we're driving. Yes, Bozeman is definite- my husband-to-be has family there, which is why we're going to MT. We'll probably go through North Dakota since he is from Sydney, MT and wants to visit his hometown. I used to live in Minnesota and have made the trip up I35 many times, so I know that trip pretty well. We are wanting to find some interesting stops on the for the rest of the trip. I have been perusing the board- there's just alot of info! Thanks for the replies!
Yes, the amount of advice given over the many years that RoadTrip America has been in existence can be overwhelming. That's why we constantly nudge people to be as specific as they can in what interests them the most and what their requirements and limitations are. So with two teens, what would I recommend that you look at. Perhaps one of the aircraft museums or the Mid-America All Indian Center in Wichita if there's interest, or the Birthplace of Jesse James near Kearney, KS. The Boone and Scenic Valley RR isn't that far off your route in Iowa, and you will have a little 'extra' time if you are planning on taking a full two days to get to Minneapolis.
Between Minneapolis and Bozeman, I think I-90 through South Dakota would be more intriguing to your kids with iconic stops at Wall Drug, Badlands National park, Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower and the Little Bighorn Battlefield. If you have sufficient time, you can also consider Wind and Jewel Caves and the Crazy Horse Memorial (in progress), all in the Black Hills area.
Between Yellowstone and Denver there's Grand Teton National Park, Sacajawea's grave outside Fort Washakie, the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum in Rawlins and Rocky Mountain National Park. And on the final leg home there's the Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico.
AZBuck
There is the Corn Palace in Mitchell, ND and the Royal Gorge Bridge and Train in CO. Also along the way, via a short detour off I-90 onto 14 and alt 14 in WY, are the Big Horn Mountains and Canyon.
Lifey